W&M Alumnae visit W&M Monroe Scholar in Jordan

Emma Horton, Monroe Scholar Class of 2011, joined Lois Critchfield (Honorary alumna 06), her granddaughter Victoria Webster (96) and Banan Malkawi (05) at the Jordan Intercontinental Hotel in Amman, Jordan on April 1 for a mini reunion. The Critchfield family was vacationing in Jordan and had just come from a desert excursion in Wadi Rum and tour of Petra.

During the spring semester, Emma has been studying Modern Standard Arabic and Jordanian Ammiya at the Qasid Institute in Amman. She is a research intern for The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre (RISSC), a religious think tank headed by Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal. She is working with the organization on the publication, “The 500 Most Influential Muslims: 2010.” She is also conducting research for her Monroe project on Jordanian interfaith initiatives.

Banan, a native of Jordan, is currently working for the first electronic news agency in Amman, the Ammon News Agency. She is the Managing Editor of the English site. She is also pursuing graduate studies in Islamic studies at the University of Jordan. She will be returning to the US this summer to visit family in northern Virginia and has promised a return visit to Williamsburg.